Prolific crime writer Lisa Unger is fresh off the book tour for her latest novel, The Stranger Inside, about a former journalist and mother whose quiet suburban life is upended when she learns about a disturbing case that echoes a trauma from her childhood. The idea that sparked the book, Unger’s 17th, sprung from research she was doing for another novel.

The New York Times best-selling author always seems to have a book under way, with two new novels in the works for 2020 and 2021. Her busy publication schedule means making plenty of public appearances when she isn’t writing.

Unger, 49, finds it rewarding to go out on the road and meet readers in person, but she’s an introvert at heart.

“After being thrust into a few weeks of extravert activity, I find I’m nourished by solitude,” she says. She follows a rigorous writing schedule, waking as early as 5 a.m. to get to work, but reading regularly is just as important, she says.

“All writers are readers first,” Unger says. “That’s where we fall in love with story, character, and world weaving.”

The writer of page-turners like Under My Skin, named one of 2018’s best mysteries, shared a few of her favorite thrilling reads that have inspired and excited her.